Tag: worksite care

PRESS RELEASE

Onsite Employee Health Centers Bring Cities Success

City Government Clients of CareHere Crowne LLC Cut Costs While Improving Care.

April 12, 2017 (Ocoee, Fla.) – The benefits planning team at Crowne Consulting Group reports enhanced care and lower medical costs for city governments providing onsite and near-site health and wellness centers for employees, retirees, and dependents.

Employers had faced relentless increases in healthcare expenditures for years. In an effort to control budgets and save taxpayer dollars, many Florida cities turned to self-funding and worksite healthcare models as a way to control medical costs, while preventing and managing chronic conditions.

“On average, the operation and administration costs for onsite health centers are 30 to 70 percent less than what employers are paying under the fee-for-service model,” said Ray Tomlinson, president of Crowne Consulting Group.

The City of Oviedo, a CareHere Crowne LLC client, has experienced success with onsite care and wellness programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles. The city won the 2016 Healthy Weight Community Champion from The Florida Department of Health. Since opening its employee health and wellness center in March 2010, the city reduced medical care costs while improving care.

The Annual Survey on Employer Health Benefits by the Kaiser Family Foundation estimated five percent of employers with at least 50 employees offered health services through an on-site health clinic. The 2016 survey interviewed over 1,000 non-federal public and private firms. Approximately 25 percent of larger firms with at least 1,000 workers offer onsite care benefits.

About Crowne Consulting Group:Crowne Consulting Group, Inc., founded in 1986, provides administrative oversight services for worksite health and wellness centers and is a related company with The Crowne Group, an employee benefits consulting firm specializing in employer solutions and personal lines of insurance. Crowne serves public sector employers such as school boards, city and county government, sheriff offices, as well as private organizations. Solutions for consumer-driven plans include health reimbursement arrangements, self-funded plans, onsite health centers, as well as risk management and human resources consulting.

Healthy, hard-working teachers play an important role in the education of our children, which is why access to quality care and health education for our teachers is critical to inspiring learning in the classroom.

Based on a 2016 report by Education Week, approximately 39% of Florida K12 teachers missed more than 10 school days during the 2013-2014 schoolyear. Nationally that same year, slightly more than 1 in 4 teachers missed 10 days or more, according to data from Education Week Research Center’s review of U.S. Department of Education and the federal civil rights office.

While personal reasons for time off may vary, sick days out for colds, flus, and other preventable conditions are days setting students and teachers behind. In an attempt to prevent teacher absences from impacting learners, some districts are taking a proactive approach to ensure their employees have convenient access to high-quality preventative care, vaccines, and primary care. Florida schools are particularly embracing an onsite-care model by offering employee health and wellness centers at or near the worksite.

When opening Lake County School’s first employee health and wellness center in August 2011, risk manager Lauren Deridder said, “The health and wellness center provides convenient and quick service, and the employees have quality time with the doctors, less of wait, and no out-of-pocket expenses.” Now with four centers spread across the county, the district is saving $150 for every patient that is seen by the employee center instead of an outside physician.

“In addition to helping employers save millions of dollars, we’re thrilled to be helping keep teachers in the classroom,” said Ray Tomlinson, president of Crowne Consulting Group, which operates over 30 on- or near-site health and wellness centers throughout Florida, including several for school districts as well as private companies, cities, counties, and sheriff offices.

Unlike outdated wellness programs that are triggered by large claims or passive educational material, the onsite-care model includes an active approach based on extensive lab work, Health Risk Assessments (HRA), and health education through customized wellness programs. “These increased screenings, HRAs, and easy access to preventative care like flu shots are helping districts increase productivity, while also cutting absenteeism costs and expenses that could be reallocated for other school resources,” added Tomlinson.

Crowne Consulting Group’s school district clients have included Citrus, Levy, Pasco, Lake, St. John’s, and Indian River. Crowne and its affiliates also serve city government, county government, sheriff’s offices, and private organizations.

The Crowne Consulting Group collaborates with Tennessee-based CareHere, LLC to operate 24 on-site health centers throughout Florida. To name a few, the City of Leesburg, City of Ocala, City of Ocoee, Lake Schools, St. Johns Schools, and Charlotte County are offering onsite medical care for employees. Add to that the City of Sanford opening earlier this week, and Lake Mary and Longwood projected for fall.

Some employers have seen insurance claims drop 15 percent in gross costs within one year of launching on-site care, while other employers have sustained nearly a 4 percent decrease in claims costs during a four-year span.

“It’s a win-win for employers and employees because easier access to preventive care ensures that risks can be uncovered before becoming high-dollar medical claims,” said Ray Tomlinson, president of Crowne Consulting Group, which was recently profiled in Orlando Business Journal and Governing Magazine.

A news segment highlighting how Pasco Schools saved $2 million in the first year of opening its CareHere center is available at https://crowneinc.com/news/.

About Crowne Consulting Group, Inc: Crowne Consulting Group, Inc., founded in 1986, consults and provides administrative oversight services for onsite health and wellness centers to employers and is a related company with The Crowne Group, an employee benefits consulting firm, specializing in employer solutions and personal lines of insurance. Crowne’s experts have a cumulative 100 years of experience in serving public sector employers such as school boards, city and county government, as well as private organizations. The firm’s mission is to bring innovative solutions that meet the fiscal responsibility of employers and maximizes investments. Solutions for consumer-driven plans include health reimbursement arrangements, self-funded plans, onsite health and wellness centers, as well as risk management and human resources consulting.